The free and open nature of social networking "calls into question the assumption, inherited from the business intelligence and management information systems orientation, that learning analytics will be designed and controlled solely by institutional educators and administrators in order to optimize learners’ performance." The challenge of social learning analytics, write the authors, is three-fold: first, that of "implementing analytics that have pedagogical and ethical integrity"; second, the turbulent educational landscape "effecting a shift in values which set a new context for thinking about analytics"; and third, understanding the different types of analytics, "each of which has specific technical and pedagogical challenges." Understanding these issues leads to a new understanding of analytics, one which I agree with entirely: "while SLA may be quite legitimately deployed as institutional tools to yield insight for educators and administrators, equally, they should be seen as tools to be placed in the hands of the very subjects being analysed – the learners." Good paper, clearly argued. See also this recent talk, by the same authors, on the subject. Also see this presentation on the enquiry blogger.
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